Ah, Absinthe - recently made legal again in the United States. After many experiences with different types of Absinthe over the past 8 years or so I've unfortunately come to the conclusion that the wonderful thing about Absinthe is its mystique. It always comes in a beautiful bottle with a fancy, often art-nouveau label. It's never a boring color - sometimes it's bright green, sometimes red or blue or yellow. Most Absinthes turn opaque and milky like magic when ice water is added. Finally, with a 60%+ alcohol content you're sure to catch a buzz - or simply black out. As for the taste, think Jaegermeister without the sugar mixed with the old-fashioned amber-colored Listerine your grandmother used to keep in her medicine cabinet. In my opinion, there's almost no amount of sugar and/or water that can be added to a glass of Absinthe to make it actually palatable. Finally, at $40 and up for a 750ml bottle at the local liquor store this isn't "Two Buck Chuck."

So sayeth me. The video above is a light look at a Slate correspondent's experience.